1. It depends. What condition are your dog's teeth in?
Is she a small dog that eats a soft diet? A large dog that chews on bones and eats dry food? My Dad's Shepards had beautiful teeth into their old age and never had a cleaning. I brushed my Pomeranian's teeth every day and still had to take him to the dentist once a year. Bacteria in the mouth can cause heart problems in dogs. Small dogs that live many more years than large ones usually need it the most.
2. Probably can't tell if its really needed or not until after the dog is sedated
Last time we had a dental done on one of our dog we thought her teeth were all in pretty good shape. Turned out that two of them were loose and needed to be pulled. Probably couldn't have found out they were loose and had them pulled before they became infected without sedation.
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